Attention drones! Your council has replaced your “graffiti” with educational messages! Remember: “Greenwich will be a royal borough from January 2012. A third of Olympic and Paralympic events…”
Puts Greenwich Council’s distancing itself from the painting-over of the wall in a different light, doesn’t it? Instead of talking to and listening to Woolwich residents, still shocked from seeing their town centre burn three weeks ago, Greenwich Council chooses to hide behind slogans.
As for “back to business”, it’s anything but at one of Woolwich’s oldest businesses, just yards from the wall, still shut because of riot damage:
Where were the police that night? What is the council doing to make people feel safer? Where are the skilled jobs and affordable housing people will need instead of jobs stacking Tesco shelves and “investment opportunities” behind brick walls? Never mind. You don’t need to know. Say after me: “Greenwich will be a royal borough from January 2012. A third of Olympic and Paralympic events…”
Still, according to this letter in this week’s Greenwich Time, we know who to thank…
Come on Dolly, you know what to do…..
Thanks for a glimpse of that letter (I don’t get Greenwich Time delivered, even though I pay for it), as marvellous an example of sycophancy and arse-licking that one could ever wish to see.
The New Wine Church? Perhaps the good Minister had just participated in a right rollicking communion!
I NO LONGER HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY. I LOVE GREENWICH COUNCIL. THEY ARE DOUBLEPLUSGOOD LEADERS. WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH AND SLOGANS ARE COMMUNITY. Oh yes.
Where’s the Travelodge going to be then?
Maybe people need an honest discussion about Woolwich, and get a few things off their chests? I walked down Hare Street this evening and realised it’s the only town centre in London I know where there’s *trees* growing out of the buildings in one of its shopping streets.
Personally I’d rather people got things out in the open rather than sticking their fingers in their ears and going ‘la la la Woolwich is great I can’t hear you’.
Because it isn’t great. It’s died a slow, lingering death over the last 30 years and all I can hope it has hit rock bottom. I don’t live in Woolwich, but I’ve been going there to shop all my life. In that time I’ve seen the MoD flee north, Morgan Grampian House turned from offices to flats and Thames Polytechnic (as was) clear off to Greenwich. The Woolwich scarpered, merged and disappeared. Cuffs, the Co-op, Safeways… all gone. Sainsbury’s gets ever more tired. M&S has been downgraded to an outlet store. The Primarks and Boots are the shabbiest I’ve seen. The market is a shadow of its former high pavement self.
The Arsenal development is nice but is it really connected to the town centre? Tesco’s may bring in more shoppers but will it suck even more life out of the dying Powis Street? I wonder whether pedestrianisation actually hindered rather than helped in the long term. Buses now stop a ludicrous distance from the supposed main shopping street. OK, the DLR is a boon but it seems more useful for getting out of Woolwich than bringing people in when there’s no decent shops or employers of note.
It doesn’t give me any pleasure to say any of the above. But there’s nothing to be gained by not facing up to what’s been allowed to happen. I’ve been going to Woolwich less and less. Now I’m not sure what reason there is to go back.
Indeed. I suspect one of the things that the Council disliked about the wall was the proportion of unhappiness on there. Woolwich used to be a thriving town, even with the upward trend recently it’s a shadow of its former self. The things that make Woolwich loveable are not the usual High Street measures. The value of the town is not counted in big name branches… Although these things help. I was in Aldershot yesterday and it felt like Woolwich does, only worse. I love Woolwich, but it is certainly true that my beloved is a bit depressed at the moment.
Well said Ned, an honest discussion is needed. I can’t even comment on the council’s propaganda and preaching at us, rather than talking to us..
As for the Church leader’s letter… Good gracious…I am just speechless.
No political party should run a council for decades, regardless of their leanings. Familiarity breeds contempt.. Contempt of us!
I rarely find reasons to visit Woolwich but wish the best for it
“I rarely find reasons to visit Woolwich but wish the best for it”
I did try to find a place to watch the football and rugby but find anywhere. In Fairness I didn’t try the Elephant & Castle but I did try 4 others but to no availb
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-olympics/article-23971215-olympic-borough-chiefs-given-vip-passes-to-venues.do
Yet another “just what to wear” crisis to perplex Chris ‘where’s the hospitality tent’ Roberts.
Anyone clear this up? I thought the travelodge was going to be on the old council offices / bakery site… its what the planning application says.
http://onlineplanning.greenwich.gov.uk/acolnet/documents/38241_43.pdf
Can see plans for refurbishment (Approved) of the Powis/Hare corner shops, but nothing for the art-deco Coop – anyone tell me different?
So thats 3 hotels planned (allegedly) for Woolwich in the next three years; this on Powis Street, another above the DLR and the ‘Royal Arsenal’ development announced last week http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Venues/Mid-market-hotel-to-be-built-on-Woolwich-riverside
Got to have hope in terms of the potential (for someone/those who can to have vision and faith (financial) in Woolwich’s future – some amazing buildings in Woolwich centre that could look and be used – the old library, the old woolwich hq on the square, and the coop to name just a few…No plans for any of these at the moment sadly as far as I can tell…
I believe Plummer is right – the Travelodge is for the older Co-Op building; the Art Deco one (Scottley’s) remains empty.
Wouldn’t the old library be better as a restaurant or bar than an office?